Saturday, November 8, 2008

Sen chou pt. II, Niseko Hirafu

Though we have been trying to try as many new places as possible without giving in to the temptation of just returning over and over to the same ones, Senchou was always just sitting at the back of our minds. Just to good to resist we headed back, but with the resolve that if we did we would have to try something new. Once again greeted and seated in a flash it was straight into the draft beef with this time the little side snack was jellied pork rib. Oishii!

Our resolve as it turned out was not that strong as we couldn't make it past two of the favourites from the previous visit, so the chicken and pork yakitori were once again the first dishes on the table, with our longing somewhat sated we able to the look at the menu a little more broadly, and so glad we were.

There are two types of salmon sashimi available regular and delicious, well I don't know about you but delicious always sounds like a good path to follow. Coming from the fatty belly of the salmon it certainly lived up to its name, the flavor delicate and the flesh melting in our mouths.

The fried octopus was several pieces from the leg of a lager animal, but there was not the slightest hint of toughness, the crust golden and seasoned with a hint of curry powder, topped with a squeeze of lemon it vanished fast.

Next came the show stopper of the night, scallop butter. This amazing dish consisted of a live scallop being fished out of a tank, then quick as a flash opened, sliced and whipped back into the shell with a touch of soy broth and a square of butter. The shell is then placed onto a small candle burner and brought to the table where it slowly heats and cooks to your liking.

As it was placed down the chef pointed out all the pieces, heart, flesh, coral as well as the skirt, in fact there was not a lot missing. As soon as it looked good to go we started first was the heart, firm and tasty!

Then the flesh and all the bits fell prey, quickly being scooped up.

As the scallop disappeared the reason for the little spoon served with the dish became apparent. What was left in the shell was an unbelievably tasty broth made up of the simmered scallop juices and the butter, too good to waste this was also quickly slurped down. (lucky slurping is a compliment here)

Then a moment of serendipity occurred, maybe through miscommunication or misunderstanding (don't know don't care) the next dish to arrive was potato gratin, we definitely hadn't ordered it but after a cautious taste we weren't going to give it up. The dish was like a Russian doll revealing little surprises layer after layer. On the outer roasted Hokkaido potatoes and asparagus gratinated and topped with a little sour cream.

Under that a layer of crispy grilled bacon and under that grilled scallops and baby squid. We were soon tapping the bottom of the plate to make sure there was nothing else there.

Finally to the table came a spin on chicken karage, rather than a few small pieces it was one thigh crumbed and fried whole, sliced then topped with a spring onion sauce, crispy, and cut with the slight sweetness from the sauce it was a fine finish to another great meal.

As we stepped out into the night I knew it won't be to long before we'll be experiencing Sen chou Pt. III....

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These days you can get on a bus, boat or plane and within hours or even minutes you can be in a new country.. but even as the world gets smaller the food still stands to let you know you've arrived a world away..